Disclaimer: Reborn! is the intellectual property of Amano Akira and all associated companies. I claim no association with any of them, no profit is being made from this and no copyright infringement intended with this fan-made piece of fiction.

Fields Of Dust

It's a surprise for Hibari to end up on the same side as Chrome because usually his speed carries him a good deal ahead of the other guardians. Squinting threateningly at her to keep the distance, he decides that two isn't a crowd and he doesn't need to attack. Yet. Instead, he watches how she finishes her opponent – one diagonal slash with her trident down the man's chest, and then the weapon is already turning, spinning in her hand, and the blunt end of the handle makes a dull thud against the ground. A burst of flames springs forth, burning the man into ash because he blinked at the wrong time.

Chrome straightens up and looks around to see if any more people are left to kill.

"Cloud person," she acknowledges Hibari with a slight tilt of her head and draws the trident closer to her chest, as if protecting it. As if protecting herself with it.

"Hn." Hibari knows that she has been told his name; she has heard it used by others countless of times before, yet she won't use it herself. Not that it matters to him. Herbivores don't matter.

. . .

When Vongola's Cloud and Mist guardians finally clash, the world turns to dust. Light flashes, reflected off Hibari's tonfa, and the trident swings, twists around, and strikes diagonally down, guided by the slender hands of Chrome. Hibari is tired of waiting on Mukuro and he has begun looking for an outlet elsewhere. Several years have passed since Mukuro's disappearance; since he last materialised in flesh, and Hibari hasn't fount a decent opponent since.

He never intended to fight Chrome, as she has never done anything to draw any excess attention, except for the select few times when she kept in step with him on the battlefield. She has never crowded. She simply went and offered to be his sparring partner because the underground facility is a boring and drab place to be (not that she minds empty and abandoned areas). None of that matters, though, once they step onto the training grounds. Within seconds it turns into a warzone.

Chrome can barely keep up with Hibari's pace and that's only because her illusions keep him mildly entertained. Her combat skill is still lacking the edge that would put them both on more equal grounds, but she desperately wants to improve it, no matter what. She has gotten a lot of training in illusions from Mammon and whatever Mukuro has managed to reveal to her, but neither of them has bothered with training her physically all that much. Hibari is her chance.

Hibari chases around her illusions, tearing through some with raw force, seeing through some others right away, but he cannot tell which ones are cast that way and which – intended to be a decoy. He doesn't care, though. He is craving a good fight and this warm-up is mildly interesting.

. . .

Hibari watches Chrome in the dim light. He watches her movements, how deliberate all of it is and how determined she looks. Chrome sheds her clothes slowly, piece by piece. Her one good eye is locked on him and she doesn't look away even for a moment.

When she approaches him, his first instinct is to push her away, to snap at her physically because she is crowding. He never does. He pulls her in, pins her down, snarls something vicious, and when she doesn't snap back, he bites her to death. Chrome doesn't regret it.

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